"The Spiked Orange Juice Game" March 17, 1960 Bradley vs. St. Bonaventure NIT Semi-Finals Ticket Stub & Program

You've heard of the Flu Game-but have you heard of the Orange Juice Game? Future Hall of Famer Chet "The Jet" Walker had his juice spiked to sideline him in the Bradley vs. St. Bonaventure matchup. According to Charley Rosen'sThe Wizard of Odds, here's what happened..."Aside from the Harold Johnson fight, there was only one other time that Iused the drug to fix an athletic event. Dave Budin convinced me to try anddrug the Bradley University basketball team during a game against St.Bonaventure at the Garden. Through Budin's contacts we already had ahandle on Bradley's second-best player, a six-foot-seven jumping jack namedAl Sanders. Chet Walker was Bradley's All-American and they were a reallytough team, one of the best in the country. Bradley was a six-point favoriteover St. Bonaventure and we felt that if we could get Walker doped up, thenthe Bonnies would be a lock. Sanders, by the way, was Walker's roommate,and he insisted that he also be doused with the drug so nobody would suspecthim of anything crooked."So on the afternoon of the game, Budin hired this black kid named Rufus,dressed him up in a waiter's uniform, gave him a tray and a pitcher ofdoctored orange juice, then drove him to the Paramount Hotel, whereBradley was staying. It was a funny scene with the passersby trying to figureout why a waiter was climbing out of a car balancing a pitcher of orangejuice on a tray. Anyway, Rufus walked right through the lobby without beingchallenged by anybody, got on the elevator, found the right room, andknocked on the door. When Sanders opened the door, Rufus said, 'Here'syour orange juice.' Sanders then grabbed the pitcher and poured a glassfulfor himself and one for Walker."'What's this all about?' Walker asked. 'We've never had orange juicebefore.'"'Coach's orders,' Rufus said. 'You can call him and ask him about it, butI don't think he'll appreciate that you're questioning his decision. The coachtold me he wants everybody to drink orange juice to give them extra energyfor the ball game.'"So Sanders and Walker each gulped down a glass of the juice, then gavethe empty pitcher back to Rufus. 'No tip will be required,' Rufus said, thenhe left the room, put the pitcher and the tray down on the floor right outsidethe door, took off his uniform and laid it right next to the pitcher, took theelevator down to the lobby, walked calmly into the street, jumped back intothe car, and off he went."We all laid our bets on St. Bonaventure with six points. I bet about twothousand and Budin must've bet ten thousand. The game was close from wireto wire. Walker would play three minutes, then a substitute would be sent inwhile he ran to the bathroom. He'd come back to the bench a few minuteslater and be sent back into the game for another short stretch, and this went onall game long. It's ironic that Sanders didn't seem to be affected at all by thedrug. I figured that the drug had sunk to the bottom of the pitcher and sinceWalker drank the second glass, he got the heavy hit."Long about the end of the third quarter, somebody handed me a copy ofthe next morning's Daily News, the early edition. The headline on the backpage said that the Bradley players had been drugged and there was a pictureof the pitcher, the tray, and Rufus's discarded uniform! Anyway, Walkerwound up with twenty points, Bradley won by eleven points, and we lost ourwagers."Afterward, there was a big investigation by the Manhattan districtattorney, who believed that Walker had dumped the game. Sanders, who wasdumping, was never suspected, but the shadow of scandal hung overWalker's career even after he became an All-Star player in the NBA."*NOT FOR SALE*